The Church of South India will be observing the 40-day Lent from March 1 as 40 days of ‘carbon fast,’ inspiring the congregations to discern climate justice as an integral part of the Church’s public witness, Bishop Thomas K.Oommen, new Moderator of the Church of South India, has said.
In a message to the Church members on the eve of the Lent, the CSI Moderator said,
“The carbon fast shall provide myriad ways for our congregations to get involved in enhancing climate justice. Join the carbon fast because you can change the world a little in 40 days. But more importantly, you could change yourself a lot. Look back over the year and see how much petrol did we use? How much did we spend? Reflect on how we have treated the environment.’’
He said the Church members should commit themselves to living simple during Lent, besides having simple food, less travel and sharing resources with others in need.
Bishop Thomas K.Oommen called upon the faithful to practise effective waste management, adhering to the principle of ‘reduce, re-use, refuse and recycle waste.’
The believers should plant saplings and nurture them since trees can directly remove carbon dioxide and store it as wood and foliage, he said.
Talking to The Hindu , the CSI Moderator said, ``We should conserve water, knowing that water is a divine blessing to be treasured, to be shared with all creations, to be protected for future generations.’’
“During Lent, through abstaining from certain habits and fasting, we engage in self-examination and penitence, preparing ourselves for Easter, Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and death,’’ the Bishop said.
“We have to build an economy that will support, not undermine, future generations. It is not only the responsibility of the Union and State governments, but also of the citizens to engage in efforts to establish climate justice. As Christians, we should have an extra burden to come together, pray together and act together for the world in general, and our nation in particular, so that we try to solve the climate crisis,” he said.
